Railway car vestibule diaphragm



Aug. 15, 1939 H. H. HENDRICKSON RAILWAY CAR VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGM Filed May 15, 1936 4 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ulJ r Aug. 15, 1939 H. H. HENDRICKSON 2,169,694 f RAILWAY CAR VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGM I Filed May 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 21' I Ii Patented Aug. 15, 1939 RAILWAY CAR VESTIBULE DIAPHRAGM Hugh H. Hendrickson, Elkhart, Ind, assignor to The Adlake Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 13,

4 Claims.

This invention has to do with the diaphragms which are used in forming the closed passageways between adjoining railway cars, and is particularly concerned. with the problem of preventing such diaphragms from sagging intermediate their ends when made of flexible material in a number of small pleats.

The purpose of the invention. is to provide, in association with a diaphragm, improved means in the form of a flexible cable threaded through the diaphragm and maintained substantially straight by the action of a spring, for supporting the diaphragm against sagging without interfering in any Way with the normal extension and contraction of the diaphragm.

Other more specific objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction, arrangement and operation of the supporting means which constitutes the invention.

Two slightly diiferent embodiments of the invention are presented herein for the purpose of exemplification, but it will of course be appreciated that the invention may be incorporated in other structurally modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In. the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical section through concentrically arranged inner and outer diaphragms connecting the vestibules of adjoining railway cars;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through one side of the diaphragm assembly, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an inside face view of the lower portion of one side of the outer diaphragm;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through similar diaphragms connecting the vestibules of adjoining railway cars of a different type, showing but one side of the assembly; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the side of the assembly shown in Fig. 4, taken on. the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The diaphragm assembly which is shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive is intended for application to articulated cars of streamlined trains, where the cars are more or less permanently joined together at their ends. In this type of construction the usual face plates beyond the end frames IU of the cars are omitted, and the diaphragmsin this instance a single outer diaphragm l l and a single inner diaphragm lZ-extend without interruption from the end frame ll) of one car to the end frame IE] of the adjoining car. The outer diaphragm l l is arched in form and is disposed with its sides l3 and top M substantially 1936, Serial No. 79,561

arranged as to permit the diaphragms to expand or contract freely within wide limits Without buckling. Certain of the pleats 18 of both diaphragms are riveted or otherwise attached along their edges to arched trusses E9 of aluminum or other suitable material, which. trusses, like the pleats to which they are attached, extend across the tops of the diaphr agms. and down the sides thereof. The trusses for the outer diaphragms are placed on the inside, while the trusses for the inner diaphragms are placed on the outside.

These trusses are preferably located at about every third pleat, but a larger or smaller number of them may be employed, depending on the stiffness of the material of the diaphragms and size of the pleats formed therein. The lower ends of the trusses terminate slightly above the lower edges of the sides of the diaphragms, which lower edges are preferably finished off with wear strips 20 of some soft yieldable material such as chrome. leather or sponge rubber. The strips 2!! serve to prevent the diap-hragms from buckling vertically upon contact with the underlying floor plates in the passageway H.

The trusses I!) are provided with eyelets 2| in both sides thereof, with the eyelets in the different trusses of each diaphragm in substantial register with each other. These eyelets are strung on flexible metal cables 22 which extend horizontally along the vertical sides of the diaphragms, preferentially near the lower edges of the same, from the end frame Ill on one car to the end frame Ill on the adjoining car. At the end frames the cables 22 are trained about pulleys 23 which are hinged on vertical pivots to brackets 24 connected to the end frames. Beyond the pulleys the cables 22 extend upwardly at right angles to the horizontal stretches of the cables and are attached some distance above the pulleys to the lower ends of coil springs 25 connected to the end frames. While two springs are preferably used at the ends of each cable, one of the springs can be omitted, if desired.

The springs 25 are made long enough and strong enough to keep the cables 22 under substantial tension in the most contracted positions of the diaphragms, with the result that the trusses l9 through which the horizontal stretches of the cables are threaded will be kept substantlally in horizontal register with each other and the diaphragms will thereby be prevented from sagging to any appreciable extent intermediate their ends, all without interfering in any way with free expansion and contraction of the diaphragms. A spring tension on the cables of about 200 poimds will give good results and will also prevent the diaphragm side walls from giving way should a person be thrown sidewise against the same when passing through the passageway I! between the cars.

In the modification which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the diaphragms do not extend continuously from one car to the next but are individual to each of the cars and terminate at face plates which are brought together when the cars are coupled, the registering inner diaphragms 26 of both cars being connected to face plates 21 and the registering outer diaphragms 28 of both cars being connected to supplemental face plates 29. In this modification only the outer diaphragms 28 are of sufficient length to require any intermediate support. The spring tensioned cables 30 for the outer diaphragms operate between the end frames 3| and the face plates 29, so as not to interfere with the coupling and uncoupling of the cars, and only one spring is employed with each cable.

I claim:

The combination with an extensible diaphragm, of spring tensioned cables extending horizontally through guides associated with the sides of the diaphragm intermediate its ends for supporting the diaphragm intermediate its ends, and means at the ends of the diaphragm for supporting the spring-tensioned cables.

2. In car construction, upright passageway members which are movable toward and away from each other, a diaphragm which is connected to the members and is provided with pleats for permitting of expansion and contraction in conformity with the movement of the members, and means for supporting the diaphragm intermediate the members comprising a cable which extends from one of the members to the other through an aperture in the diaphragm, and a take-up device associated with the cable for keeping the latter taut and substantially straight in all positions of the members.

3. In car construction, upright passageway members which are movable toward and away from each other, a diaphragm of inverted U- shaped cross section which is connected to the members and is provided with pleats for permitting of expansion and contraction in conformity with the movement of the members, and means for supporting the diaphragm intermediate the members comprising cables which extend horizontally from one of the members to the other at the sides of the diaphragm through apertures in the latter and springs connected with the cables for keeping the latter taut and substantially straight in all positions of the members.

4. In car construction, upright passageway members which are movable toward and away from each other, a diaphragm of inverted U- shaped cross section which is connected to the members and is provided with pleats for permitting of expansion and contraction in con formity with the movement of the members, and means for supporting the diaphragm intermediate the members comprising trusses attached to certain of the pleats, cables which extend horizontally from one of the members to the other at the sides of the diaphragm through apertures in the trusses, pulleys on the members about which the cables are trained, and springs connected with the cables and the members beyond the pulleys at right angles to the horizontal portions of the cables for keeping the latter taut and substantially straight in all positions of the members.

HUGH H. HENDRICKSON. 

